Dear Chicago Youth: Stop Fighting The Wrong Fights!

I do my best to keep judgment to a minimum. 

[In fact, I've been judged for what I've said, written, and worn.]

But some things need to be addressed. 

Last week, students at Chicago's historic Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational Career Academy--the alma mater of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson-- used their youthful energy in the wrong way by fighting and causing havoc on their school's campus.  

Don't get me wrong; I was their age 15 years ago and fell short of perfection on my occasions.

However, I had a support system at home consisting of two old-fashioned parents who encouraged me to "get my sh*t together" because the world was not going to accept my excuses in lieu of rent. 

Post by Abnormal Paris.

Those rowdy students at Dunbar don't realize that their REAL competition goes to school in the same neighborhood. Students at schools like De La Salle and The Young Women's Leadership Charter School are being prepared for lucrative careers and unlimited success. Meanwhile, kids who choose to fight and riot during instructional time are being prepared for lives of misery. 

I understand that "the system" is set up to fail minority youth. But I am a living witness that you CAN beat "the system." You have to stop celebrating ignorance and idolizing celebrities! TURN OFF THE DAMN TV! As my parents would tell me when I was younger: "Those celebrities already HAVE A JOB!"

Alternatives

One alternative is the Walgreens Expressions Challenge.  
The Walgreens Expressions Challenge is a creative contest which gives teens a chance to win $2,000 while expressing their views on issues such as self esteem, teen pregnancy, and STD prevention. 

The contest runs from October 1 to November 30 and is held annually. 

After November 30, there will still be opportunities for teens to engage in positive activities as well. 

Teens at Dunbar High School should partner with the PTA to have Family Fun Days at least one weekend a month. During the events, students can enjoy their school in a relaxed environment (with appropriate security) and enjoy surprise visits from notable alumni-- including Jennifer Hudson. 

The next video they should release is one showing the students celebrating a triumph instead of almost trampling each other in a silly fight.

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JRW Player's Plight Opens Door For More To Get Help (EDITORIAL)

After such a joyous week in sports, we learned of an unfortunate story. Jaheim Benton, a young man who went all the way to the Little League World Series as a member of the Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West team turned out to be homeless. 

Thankfully, Spencer Leak, Jr. -- a local mortician-- sent the young man and his family gets him some help.

I'm not big on utilizing religious imagery but I'm truly glad this young man and his family is getting the help he needs. It's certainly good that he gets this attention because he's part of a champion little league baseball team.

We must remember that he isn't the only child who may be part of a family who's homeless. Hopefully these other young people and their families will also get the help they need.

~ Levois J. 

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The Stunning Reality Of Urban Violence (Editorial)

Shamiya Adams is the top story of Chicago news right now.

Unfortunately, we have come to know her name in a tragic way. 

She is the beautiful 11-year-old child (seen left) who was slain when stray bullets entered her friend's home while they did what preteen girls do: have sleepovers, make snacks, and enjoy being kids. 

Across the nation, kids are being robbed of more than just their childhoods; some of them are being robbed of their lives by heartless criminals. Last week, 14-year-old James Jerimiah Thomas was shot to death at a community center in Jacksonville. Two days ago, a 5-year-old girl was killed in Leavenworth, Kansas, during a police shootout. (The police say that the bullet that ended her life was not fired by them.)

When I saw Shamiya's picture on the news, I thought of my own nieces visiting from Atlanta--some of whom were born in Chicago. The eldest, Jay Marie, is 13, and a very athletic 6 feet; the youngest, Reagan, is the cutest, most playful 1-year-old you will ever meet. The other two, Morgan (9), and Ryan (6), are inquisitive and creative. Despite their differences, I love them all equally without favoritism-- just like Shamiya's family loved her. 

I couldn't imagine getting the news that any coward would hurt anyone close to me. The idea is enough to give me chills to my spine. But the world has become disconnected and distracted by the wrong things. Most people prefer to use social media for personal pleasure instead of mobilizing for social change. And they won't get involved until a tragedy hits their doorstep. 

That is frightening. 

We shouldn't have to wait for tragedy to happen to someone close to us in order to join the movement. For us, the real problem is not "stopping the violence" but "starting a movement." If we start the movement, the decrease in violence will follow suit. By ignoring the proper order of things, we are delaying peace and creating a culture of danger.

My nieces are back in suburban Atlanta now. As much as I would like them to return, I would rather go down there to visit them. I don't want them returning to a city that is not prepared to give them the safety every child deserves. 

The only way to be "So Chicago" is to become "So pissed off" with urban violence that it becomes a thing of the past for our children. 

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Kwesi Ronald Harris, Chicago's Black Male Graduate "Maker"

Don't believe all of the statistics you see and hear; There is hope for African-American men on the South Side of Chicago. At Chicago State University, African-American male graduates have one man to thank: Mr. Kwesi Ronald Harris.

Mr. Harris is the director of the university's African-American Male Resource Center, where he pursues the goals of recruitment, retention, and graduation. In the video seen below, he speaks to Marc Sims about his work with young men and programs the university supports like T.E.M.B.O (Teaching and Educating Men of Black Origin) to improve graduation rates and prepare future leaders. 

"You can't be what you can't see," Harris shared with Marc Sims.  He continued by saying that key signs of manhood are found among those who provide, produce, and protect. 

Mr. Harris realizes the magnitude of efforts, given that Chicago State is home to one of the highest number of African-American men enrolled in college statewide. 

Zack's TV salutes this Chicago (and national) hero. 

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Without This Bill, U.S. Consumers Might Miss A Few Meals

September 30 is a crucial date for a majority of Americans: it marks the expiration of the Food, Farm, and Jobs Bill— better known as "The Farm Bill." 

In simple terms, The Farm Bill helps farmers supply food at reasonable prices to consumers and has funded the SNAP program for needy mothers and children. While almost 46,000 Americans receive an average of $133 in SNAP benefits per month, the Farm Bill—which is renewed every five years—has a few changes that has caused some alarm with health advocates, politicians, and community activists. 

Mrs. Monica Brown Moss— a health advocate in Chicago—is pushing for more constituents to become knowledgeable about what is at stake.  As the wife of Trinity United Church of Christ pastor Otis Moss III, she works to engage the congregation and residents of the surrounding community in dialogues about important issues.

In a recent interview, Mrs. Moss shared with Empowering Voices host Rev. Joan Harrell some surprising information about how the new version of the Farm Bill will affect children. "We need to make sure that we are feeding people here on the South Side of Chicago," she said. "One out of every six children in the city of Chicago is 'food insecure' —that means that they don't know where their next meal is coming from."

For more information, check out this report from CRI TV about the Farm Bill.

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Obama & Chicago's Inner-City Violence (Part 1) : THE BLAME GAME

"We have to...change our politics so that we care just as much about those 30-something children in Chicago who have been shot as we do the children at Virginia Tech."

Five years ago, then-Senator Barack Obama spoke those words in response to a question about gun violence posed at NAACP Democratic Candidates Forum in Detroit. It was just three months after the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech where 32 people lost their lives. In his adopted hometown of Chicago, the same number of public school students were killed in separate incidents. As the 2008 election approached, gun violence had become a major issue in Obama's presidential campaign. 

After his 2009 inauguration, other issues (to the chagrin of anti-violence activists) came to the forefront including health care reform and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." As President Obama runs for re-election, those same activists are demanding that he makes their cause a priority this time.   

Father Michael Pfleger, a Chicago activist and pastor of St. Sabina Church, made demands that the President address the issue of violence there and not just Colorado. 

According to journalist Chinta Strausberg, the 63-year-old priest delivered a fiery sermon last Sunday saying to Obama: "You will not ignore violence in Chicago!" 

He continued with his concerns about why the July 20 massacre in Aurora, Colorado, has received more presidential attention than the constant shootings in Chicago. 

"What happened in Colorado was tragic and horrific...but I'm trying to figure out twelve people got killed in Colorado and the nation stood still and everybody's speaking about. [Attorney General] Eric Holder comes in, but there are more than 12 killed every weekend in Chicago."

According to various news reports, the number of weekend killings is lower than Pfleger claims. While dozens of residents have been shot multiple weekends in a row, the fatality rate is typically less than half of that amount. However, the city of Chicago is still on track to see its highest homicide rate since 2003. 

Bill Watts, an insurance claims adjuster, feels that the problem of gun violence is too big for the President to solve. He says that it will take a combination of stronger communities and lawful gun ownership to help make things better. "It is up to the community to step up and show love to those who are in need of it," Watts says. "The President can't change what's in a person's heart." 

As Chicago prepares for the President's special birthday visit in two weeks, it is expected that he will be pressed to address gun violence in his own city. Yet, the question remains about whether he will. 

**UPDATE (11:26 PM): President Obama spoke about urban violence at  a National Urban League event in New Orleans this evening, according to the Chicago Tribune.

~ Zack The Producer 

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